1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to drain devices and more particularly to drain troughs for recreational vehicles.
2. Description of Prior Art
Due to the evolution of vehicles, most vehicles have roofs and sidewalls with some type of drainage system. Over the years, the desire to protect oneself from external elements has inspired the creation of permanent, removable, and even convertible rooftops to be placed onto the bodies of vehicles. In time, however, the lack of a proper drainage system in the rooftop caused damage to the vehicle. As such, drain devices fitted onto the rooftops and sidewalls of the vehicle were developed to ameliorate this damage. Trim moldings were later developed to be fitted inside the drain device in order to add a decorative appearance to the drain device, and if necessary, to incorporate a functional attribute of drainage.
If it so happens that a vehicle does not come equipped with a drainage system, as may be the case with some convertible vehicles and almost all recreational vehicles such as campers, the typical way in which most persons fit drain devices onto their vehicle is by some type of mechanical fastener. However, mechanical fasteners usually require a hole to be drilled into the body of the vehicle, and this usually requires one to purchase an expensive drill or the like. Furthermore, drilling holes and attaching mechanical fasteners to the body of the vehicle usually involve permanently marring the vehicle's body. Examples of this prior art include U.S. Pat. No. 2,635,918 issued Apr. 21, 1953, to Muckle; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,332,415 issued Jun. 1, 1982, to Williams. Muckle discloses a combination rain shield and drain device for use with a convertible automobile to protect against damage when the vehicle is moving and the windows are open. In order to use the rain shield and drain device, an attachment having latching pins and holes must be installed into the body, assuming the car did not already have these items incorporated during manufacture. Williams discloses an improved cover for a golf cart having a drain device attached to the periphery of its roof by a mechanical fastener, such as a nut and bolt, rivet, or the like.
Even where the vehicle comes equipped with some type of drainage system, these systems are usually designed with trim moldings in order to enhance the decorative appeal of the automobile. Many of these trim moldings are fitted to the existing drainage system by fastening mechanisms, such as studs, which have a tendency to increase cost, as well as involve time and energy for the installation thereof. Examples of such prior art include German Patent No. 3,150,027 issued Jun. 23, 1983, to Volkswagenwerk AG; and Japanese Application No. 4-76831 published Oct. 26, 1993, by Iwamura. Volkswagenwerk AGS discloses an elastic trim strip which fits into the side gutter of a vehicle and extends over the gutter lip. The strip is a hollow profiled section which extends along the vehicle to a rail having turned over lips which clip onto studs, or screw members, secured into the bed of the gutter. Iwamura discloses a weather strip having a groove coupled to a retainer by double-coated tape, wherein the retainer is clamped to a side rail by a screw and a positioning head is integrated into the screw.
Attempts have been made to install these trim moldings without studs and the drilling of holes or the like. However, these attempts usually involve using at least two pieces which function together to hold the molding to the drainage system, wherein at least one of these pieces is made of an elastomeric material such as rubber which deteriorates rather quickly when continuously exposed to external elements. Examples of such prior art include: U.S. Pat. No. 2,930,652 issued Mar. 29, 1960, to Bidlingmaier et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,342,107 issued Aug. 30, 1994, to Saji et al.; and German Patent No. 3,124,271 issued Jan. 5, 1983, to Gebr. Happich GmbH. Bidlingmaier et al. discloses a decorative rail molding and retainer clip combination for an automotive drip trough. The molding seats directly into the trough and is held into place by the retainer clip. The combination is constructed of a spring material such as stainless steel. Saji et al. discloses a vehicular roof drip molding having a U-shaped clamp portion mounted onto a flange portion of a side body of an automobile. The molding is a double-walled structure which is manufactured by extruding a hard elastomeric material over an interior soft core. Gebr. Happich GmbH discloses a two-piece decorative molding for the roof edge of an automobile having a rain gutter. The first piece is a plastic support member which lays on the top of the second piece. The second piece snaps onto the top of the rain gutter and has a saw tooth ridge member for gripping.
With respect to recreational vehicle campers, these types of vehicles usually have an awning mounted onto an awning track. Due to the combination of the awning and the awning track, however, one is prevented from installing a drainage device having mechanical fasteners. Since this type of drainage device is the norm, the presence of the awning track and the awning therefore teaches away from installing a drainage device onto a recreational vehicle camper. This can be evidenced by the fact that the walls of recreational vehicle campers have unattractive black streaks caused by unimpeded rain and/or solid matter running therealong.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus a drain trough for a recreational vehicle solving the aforementioned problems is desired.